National Security in the Age of AI

My Op-Ed in Dawn

In May, the Indo-Pak escalation was quickly followed by something less visible but no less disruptive: a flood of synthetic media. Within minutes, social platforms were filled with dramatic footage: fighter jets, collapsing buildings, urgent voices, rising panic. Much of it was fabricated. AI-generated. Carefully edited satellite imagery, deepfake videos, cloned voices.

Before facts could settle, fiction had already framed the narrative. The digital space became the first and most chaotic theatre of response.

In an op-ed for Dawn, I reflected on this shift. The core argument: AI is now central to national preparedness, public resilience, and strategic communications.

You can read the full article here: National security issue – Dawn

If misinformation spreads faster than truth, the gap it creates can be filled by confusion, fear, or manipulation. Whether triggered by adversarial actors, coordinated campaigns, or unintended algorithmic amplification, the impact is always disruption at scale.

This is not only a regional issue. These dynamics are playing out globally, wherever information systems shape public perception faster than institutions can intervene.

If you work in government, what tools do you think are missing? If you're in tech, where does accountability start? And for the rest of us, how do we build filters that are strong enough to protect trust without weakening the flow of information?

Every connected citizen is now part of the response system. Would value your thoughts.